Walk Me Home: Dating a Monster Girl

Part 2 - Twilight Angel

The crisp, oxygen-rich air rushed against Norman's face and filled his lungs. His footfalls were silent as the dead of night as he stole across the rooftops, running, vaulting, climbing, rolling. The grace of a predator was upon him. He glanced at the drone as it whirred at his side.

"I know what you're probably thinking: 'Is it smart to keep parkouring around after throwing hands with that lovely little slug beast?" Norman whispered. "Don't you have to watch your stamina? The rooftops are safer ... except when they're not. I can't go home the way I came 'cause chances are something's out there, expecting me to do just that. So, I change things up a bit. This roundabout route ain't great, but it's usually not too bad so long as I move quickly. The problem is, in theory, parkour makes noise and takes a lot of energy. Normally, going bump in the night attracts the actual things that go bump in the night. Who knew? The sad truth in this city is that sometimes, you gotta run for your life, but what if you could stomp around as much as you want without making a sound, while pampering your poor, overworked trotters with a taste of Heaven?"

A tricky path lay ahead. Flat stretches of floor became a rarity. His feet never missed it. Every step was a new ledge, railing, pipe, roof vent duck or otherwise. Navigating it all without a second thought, he scarcely slowed. His OoTube chat was blowing up:

__CHAT:

DRAY_KART_82: wait, are his feet even touching the ground?

PARKOUR-PARKER: this is pro stuff

BAJANETTE11: nah he flyin

ARN74: fake

I'M-JUST-'IM: no one can move like that.

"I mean, if you're gonna run for your life, why not treat your feet to some software that's actually soft?" Norman pitched.

"'Sneakers' are for prey. 'Prowlers' are for predators! It's a dirty little secret that commercial products aren't generally built to last, 'cause who's gonna buy more when you're set for life? Not these babies.

You'll grow old and die with them (unlessyoudon't)! After painfully testing several prototypes by sprinting on the mucus of a giant slug, it's safe to say the traction is as aight as it gets!"

__CHAT:

JARON-DA-MON: tmi

I'M-JUST-'IM: we did not need to know that.

LEMMY_OUTA_HERE: Do you put all the prowlers you make through that test, or just the ones you wear?

WONNA_ONE23: Lemmy asking de important questions.

Motion blurs muddled his visor's camera footage. The world was whirling. However, the drone camera caught what the visor couldn't. He'd broken into a combo of somersaults, rolls, aerial spirals, and other exotic tricks that spun his body 360°. Every maneuver maximised efficiency in some way or another.

__CHAT:

HARD-BACK-M8N: how he get dat do?

SMOL_STUPSE: Showoff.

BREK_NEK_DEED: is this the power of traction?

LIKKLE-BOY: SO COOL!!

WONNA_ONE23: gimme dem prowlers!

His voice reflected the effort, but it was disproportionately low. "When you're firing on all cylinders, one slip can end your adventures. As you can see, so long as you have a stable surface, prowlers do not slip."